Last week 
saw the 10th anniversary of the European Day of Languages “celebrated” throughout the European Union. If you didn’t realise, don’t worry you probably weren’t the only one.
The day which is officially organised by the Council of Europe and has a budget of 30 million euros was launched in 2001 to alert the public to the importance of learning a language, as well as promoting Europe’s rich and diverse linguistic heritage.
But in an era where every day seems to celebrate and promote an idea or cause, we ask the question, is the European Day of Languages even worth the paper it’s written on?
This year being the 10th anniversary we think it could have been the perfect opportunity to promote the importance of learning a language and the benefits it can bring to an individual. Unfortunately the well financed day passed by with a general lack of acknowledgement from the media and with few people knowing about it, the day faded into near obscurity. In the United Kingdom there were a small number of libraries that ran events and a few primary schools that held assemblies, but with a lack of a central organisation within the UK, it seems to have been but a drop in the ocean.
Elsewhere in Europe there was a greater attempt to celebrate the day, in Belgium there were poetry readings on the Metro and in Poland a gala dinner was organised to highlight the advantages of knowing a second language.
Here at Euro London we’d like to see the importance of learning a language championed every day by the European Union and not just one day a year, however well meaning it may be.
We’ll leave you to make your minds up on whether the day was worth the 30 million euros that were spent on it.
Should we be at all surprised given the general apathy here in the UK towards language learning? For example, regarding the Government the penny has only just dropped that kids need to learn a language in primary school! Duh!
Schools, colleges and universities (as well as the language industry) should take the lead next year to make it worthwhile. There are so many young students and adult learners attending courses, night classes etc who could give the EDL a real boost if only there were a concerted effort to promote the EDL. Language service providers should be encouraged to organise events for their staff and clients alike.
There is so much that can be done rather than just lamenting the decline of language education in the UK.
We totally agree with you. If a more combined and coordinated approach was made by all institutions involved such as the schooling system and local authorities, as well as the media and organisations that have a stake with in the language industry, the EDL would hopefully have a much more far reaching effect and would have a far greater outcome.